A violent face-off between Indian and Chinese soldiers took place on 15 June night in the Galwan Valley. India has lost an army battalion's Commanding Officer and two soldiers.
Lt Gen (retd) AK Singh, former Army Commander, and (retired) Indian diplomat Vishnu Prakash discuss these developments with The Quint's Opinions Editor Nishtha Gautam.
China has “lodged solemn representations” with the Indian side, and urged it to strictly restrain its frontline troops from crossing the border that could potentially complicate the already-tense situation, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian had said, as reported by Global Times. He also reportedly said that the two countries had ‘agreed to resolve the bilateral issues through dialogue’, to ‘maintain peace and tranquility along the border areas’.
“The loss of lives on the Indian side includes an officer and two soldiers. Senior military officials of the two sides are currently meeting at the venue to defuse the situation,” the Indian Army had said in an official statement. The statement was later amended to state that there were casualties ‘on both sides’ during the face-off.
Beijing, however, is yet to confirm casualties on the Chinese side, although, the Editor-in-Chief of Global Times tweeted that: “Based on what I know, Chinese side also suffered casualties in the Galwan Valley physical clash.”
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping have had several interactions to ensure smooth relations between the countries. But unlike in 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019, when PM Modi had wished Xi Jinping on his birthday on 15 June, this year, there was no such outreach from the Indian Prime Minister, amid border tensions.
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